Scattered
by luvalways
Summary: In a last attempt to capture Naruto, Akatsuki is planning an attack on Konoha. With Sasuke back, will he chose to save his old friends, or follow the path of revenge?
1. New Mission

Chapter one: New Mission Chapter one: New Mission

"_There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." _–_Josh Billings_

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Sasuke almost had to laugh at the irony of it all.

Here he was trying to hurt Konoha, and they were trying to help him. Healing him, providing him with food. Were they retarded? Everybody seemed to think he was a silly child, trying to act like a "big boy." That he hadn't thought through anything. That he wasn't sorry for anything he had done. But that wasn't true.

He was an Uchiha for Gods sake! He had a reason for everything. For killing his brother, and now for killing the elders. He wouldn't say he was proud for some decisions he made, but he was damn proud of, well, other things. He just couldn't really think of those "other things" at the moment. He decided to blame his inability to think on the painkillers.

Sasuke sighed, leaning back on the mountain of pillows supporting him, remembering the events of the past couple of days.

Going after the eight tails had been a lot harder then he imagined. He would consider that something he was not proud of. He didn't even know why Akatsuki needed the tailed beasts! Maybe he should have asked why he was kidnapping the eight tails. Another thing he wasn't proud of. He had been found lying in the middle of the forest, completely out of chakra and completely out of dignity. He hadn't gotten his ass kicked like that in a while. Well, that's what his pride told him.

Sasuke wasn't positive, but he had a good feeling that both of his legs were broken. Escaping Konoha wasn't going to happen at the moment. And with the ANBU standing guard around his room, he was almost scared- no; Uchihas didn't get scared- _cautioned_ to move a muscle.

He hadn't expected things to happen like this. He had planned on traveling for a bit, maybe even returning to Konoha after killing Itachi. But killing the village elders? He had never seen that one coming. He knew that killing the elders would be practically impossible now, seeing that as soon as he got out of the hospital he would be locked up in a cold, moldy, jail cell. But revenge was what he needed. After those bastards that were responsible for his clan's death were buried six feet under, he could finally be at peace. The burden he had been carrying would be gone. He could move on. Revenge was really the only answer, right?

Sasuke felt his vision begin to blur and his brain went fuzzy. Sasuke closed his eyes and let the drugs dripping into his arm from the intravenous put him to sleep.

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"Sakura, can I see you in my office?"

Sakura looked up, surprised to see Tsunade standing next to her. It wasn't like Tsunade to leave her office to find somebody, she usually sent Shizune to get people. Sakura nodded, following her teacher to the Hokage tower. Tsunade opened the door to reveal Naruto and Kakashi already inside, waiting for Sakura to arrive.

"So, uh, what's going on Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked, hoping for a kick ass S ranked mission.

Tsunade sighed, massaging her temple with her fingers. "Idiot, don't call me Granny, and Akatsuki is what's going on!" Naruto almost felt his heart stop.

"Heh, those bastards again?" Naruto said, his voice grave, all thoughts of missions pushed to the back of his mind. "Don't they ever give up?"

"Akatsuki is planning something. They've been quiet too long. With only two tailed beasts remaining, they are going to be coming after Naruto soon. And you Naruto," she said, placing her stern gaze on the orange ninja, "need to be prepared for an attack at anytime."

"Things are really that serious?" Sakura asked. She knew Akatsuki was bad news and was an extremely powerful group of ninja, but she never thought they would be able to capture Naruto. Naruto had always seemed invincible. He was always the strong one, the one who never gave up. Sakura couldn't bear to imagine life without him; he was her best friend after all.

"Things are getting pretty bad. Akatsuki is becoming more and more dangerous, recruiting more missing ninja to fill in for the lost members. And to top it off, now that Sasuke is in Konoha, he may try to kidnap Naruto." Tsunade said hesitantly. She knew that team 7 had every right to be happy that Sasuke was back, but she also knew that Sasuke was bad news.

"What do you mean Sasuke will come after me!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke may be a bastard but he wouldn't-"

"The problem is Naruto, that he would. We've been receiving reports from several villages saying Sasuke has been working with Akatsuki. I personally have no idea why. And plus, Sasuke was attempting to capture the eight tails. Face it, he's your enemy now."

Naruto glared at Tsunade, Sakura remained completely impassive, and Kakashi looked at his feet, not knowing what to say. Everything had changed in the past three and a half years. Naruto and Sakura had improved greatly, enough to surpass Kakashi himself. And Sasuke had practically sprinted down the path of revenge. Kakashi had always known Sasuke wouldn't be happy with revenge, but he never thought Sasuke would join the organization that his brother had been a part of. What ever was going through Sasuke's head was clearly not good.

"So, what exactly do you need us for Hokage-sama?" Kakashi questioned.

"I need you guys to find out what Sasuke's plans are, what Akatsuki's plans are. Figure out his plans, by any needs necessary. You guys know the way he works, you're the only ninja capable of this job. Up to the task?" The three ninjas looked at each other, nodding.

"I think we can manage." Kakashi said, his visible eye crinkling in a smile. Sakura nodded, her face stretching in a small smile.

"Heh, Sasuke-teme won't know what hit him! We'll get him to spill his guts, believe it!" Naruto yelled. He wouldn't let Sasuke become a complete bad guy; he was like his brother after all. He would do everything he could to learn Sasuke's plans. And maybe, scare Sasuke so much, he would shit his pants… That would make his day.

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Sakura looked at the clock on her bedside table for about the millionth time that night. The demonic red numbers of doom read 2:30. Why had she agreed to interrogate Sasuke! She didn't know what to do, how to feel. She didn't love Sasuke anymore, she knew that much. And she did know he was her teammate, her friend. But she didn't forgive him yet. And what scared her was that she didn't know if she would ever truly forgive him.

But she was more scared for Naruto at the time. If what Tsunade said was true, would Sasuke kidnap Naruto? She didn't want to believe Tsunade; she was clearly just angry and was stretching the truth. Sakura laughed bitterly. She would keep telling herself that Sasuke hadn't turned into something bad, into a monster, but she knew she would have to face the truth sooner than later.


	2. Welcome home?

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A/N: Whoops, forgot to do an author note last chapter. So, this is my first story. Sorry everything was squished together. I thought it was kind of confusing…. Any who, really appreciate reviews (even if they're flames. well, nice flames….). Enjoy

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Chapter two: Welcome home?

_"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." -Arnold Bennett_

"Naruto, wake up." Sakura yelled in the sleeping ninja's ear. "Naruto, you really need to get up, we have Sasuke's interrogation, remember?" Sakura swore she had never seen anybody move so fast. Naruto bolted out of bed, filling a Styrofoam cup of instant ramen with water.

"I can't believe we finally get to see Sasuke-teme! I could barely sleep but then I ate some ramen and then I fell asleep and I'm almost ready to go!" Naruto babbled, shoving the ramen cup in the microwave and throwing his usual black shirt and orange pants on. Sakura sighed, completely ignoring Naruto. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, and Naruto's rambling was really starting to piss her off.

"Naruto, shut up." A stern voice from the window said. Sakura spun around to be greeted by Kakashi, casually leaning against Naruto's kitchen window. "And hurry up, we want to get there on time."

Naruto choked on his noodles and Sakura looked like she was going to have a seizure. "Did you just say you wanted to be on time?" Sakura said, amazed at what her teacher said. Was she having a dream?

"Well, there are some things you can't be late for, you know?" Kakashi said.

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, jaws nearly touching the ground. "Are you high?" Naruto cried, in complete shock. "You're always late!"

"Finish eating breakfast and lets go. And I'm not always late." Kakashi mumbled. Why did his team have to abuse him so?

"You keep telling yourself that Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said while he shoveled noodles down his throat.

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Sakura glared at the doorknob leading to Sasuke's hospital room. She had tried opening it at least twenty times now, but every time she touched it, she wanted to run away, to forget about their mission. What if he hadn't changed at all? What if all he wanted was to be with his team again? She knew deep down that wasn't the case, but she could always pretend, right?

"Um, Sakura, are you going to open the door or just look at it? Cause we should probably go in now." Naruto said hesitantly, not really wanting to go in either. But he knew what he had to do. He would get his best friend back, even if he had to go through hell and back. He quietly nudged Sakura towards the door, nodding at her. Sakura sighed and slowly turned the doorknob.

Sakura glanced in the room; gasping as she saw the man she had spent so many months trying to get back. He lay in the hospital bed, his breathing deep. Sakura sighed, not believing it.

"Nice try but I can tell you're awake." She said, her voice harsh. The sheets rustled and Sasuke sat up in the bed, his face hidden by his bangs. Sakura slowly walked over to him, her face completely impassive. She stopped at the side of his bed, just looking at him. When he did nothing to acknowledge her presence, Sakura felt like her genin self. What she had worked so hard to become was quickly unraveling right before her eyes. She clenched her fists. Things weren't going to happen like that again. So, she snapped.

SMACK!

Sasuke's head jerked to the side, an angry red palm print appearing on his cheek. That was certainly something he hadn't been expecting. Sure he hadn't expected Sakura to welcome him back with open arms, crying over how much she missed him. But he hadn't expected her to hit him.

Sakura felt the tingling in her hand, and it finally dawned on her that she had just hit him.  
What should she do now? Should she apologize? No, she wouldn't go back now! She would be the kick ass kounoichi she was.

"That was for leaving me on a goddamned bench." She hissed. Sasuke snorted, and something in Sakura made her jerk forward and grab the front of his shirt, her eyes fierce with hate.

"If you even think of laying a finger on Naruto, I swear I will punch your pretty little face in, do you understand?" she hissed, her face inches away from his.

"Fuck off." He said hoarsely, his cheek still stinging. Another reason why he wanted to stay away from Konoha, everyone was so annoying….

"Um, okay Sakura, I think that enough." Kakashi quietly said, not wanting things to get out of hand. Sasuke deserved Sakura's words, but they really needed to focus on questioning him. "I think I'll take over now if that's ok."

Sakura nodded and let go of Sasuke, walking over to where Naruto was standing. Naruto looked like he was in a dream, like he was completely oblivious to what was going on. Sakura nudged him and he glanced over at her, giving her a faint smile. But she could tell from the look in his eyes that he was hurting, like he wanted to scream, to smack Sasuke. She felt the same way, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Sasuke had become a monster.

"So, lets get started. First off, did you join Akutski?" Kakshi asked Sasuke, his voice alarmingly calm and monotonous. Sasuke just grunted and Kakashi sighed.

"Listen, if you want to walk a free man, you have to talk. You help us, we help you. Clear?" Kakashi spoke. Sasuke just shook his head, signature smirk on his face.

" You guys just don't understand, do you? You haven no idea what its like to be a real shinobi, to really no what pain is. While you guys sit backing licking each other's wounds and crying all over each other, I'm out there in the real world, experiencing what really goes on. So keep your questions to yourself cause I'm not saying anything." He said, voice dripping with venom. Kakashi sighed, knowing this was much more complicated then he thought. This wasn't going to work.

"Sasuke, if you tell us a few simple things about Akutski, you could save hundreds of innocent lives. War wouldn't start; people wouldn't have to live in constant fear. Families would stay together; children wouldn't grow up without mothers or fathers. C'mon Sasuke, tell us something." Kakashi said, glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke sat, thinking. What could he tell them to get them off his back but wasn't a lie? His plans had never involved killing innocent people or cause a war. But did Akutski's? He hadn't been part of the organization long enough to learn what plans they had. Heck, he barely knew anything. He just joined so he could have enough skill and manpower to execute his revenge against the village elders. He sighed.

"Akutski wants the nine tailed fox." He said bluntly. He figured they already knew this so he wouldn't really be betraying Akutski.

"Tell us something we don't already know." Kakashi said slowly, somewhat surprised Sasuke had even said anything. Sasuke was just like his formal self, afraid to get close to people, extremely untrusting, quiet, and rude. He knew what loss was like; he knew what Sasuke had been through. But Kakashi didn't know what Sasuke was thinking. He didn't know why he left, why he hurt everybody, why he didn't want to change. Why he didn't want anybody's guidance or help. That was what made Kakashi mad. He couldn't help his student.

"Is Akutski going to come after Naruto soon?" Kakashi asked. Kakashi listened for a reply and was even more surprised than before that Sasuke answered again.

"I don't know." Sasuke said. He had calmed down. He could think rationally again. But he wasn't sure why he had answered that question.

"Are you just saying that so we quit bugging you, or are you telling the truth?" Kakashi said.

Sakura knew she should have been helping with the interrogation but she knew she would just yell at Sasuke and tell him how much she hated him. She was surprised at how calm Kakashi was being too. But she was mostly surprised that Naruto was just standing there. He hadn't even said a thing since they walked in the room. He just stared at his feet, his eyes shiny. She wanted to ask if he was ok, but she knew he would say he was fine, even if he wasn't.

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Sasuke accused.

Kakashi shook his head. "I was just asking. Do you have any idea when Akutski will attempt to get Naruto?"

"No." Sasuke said quietly, obviously done answering questions. It was really getting on his nerves.

"I think that's enough for today. That doesn't mean we won't be back though. C'mon guys, lets go get ramen, my treat?" Kakashi said, facing Sakura and Naruto. Sakura nodded, and Naruto kept looking at his shoes. Sasuke snorted, the dobe was definitely odd. Well, odder than usual.

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After his old team had left Sasuke felt, well, different. Like, things had changed. Everybody was so different. Kakashi seemed to be so much of a leader, willing to do what the rest of them didn't. Sakura was, well, bitchy and stronger. When they were younger, she would have never hit him, let alone yell at him. And Naruto? He hadn't said a damn thing the entire time he was there. He just stood there, looking at the floor.

He knew things in Konoha weren't going to be on "pause" while he was away. He expected things to have changed, but not that much. Ugh, he needed to stop thinking about the past. It made things more complicated. But that wasn't what was concerning him the most. When was Akutski going to get Naruto? And why didn't he, being a part of Akutski and all, know?

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Kakashi had left the ramen shop a few minutes ago, "forgetting" that he had promised to pay for ramen. Sakura sighed, knowing she would have to pay for Naruto, Kakashi and her own ramen. There went the money she had been saving for those new medical textbooks.

"Naruto, you ok?" Sakura asked cautiously. Naruto looked up, surprised someone was talking to him.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine." Naruto said, put on a fake smile.

"Do you actually think I'd believe that bull shit?" Sakura said, looking Naruto in the eyes. Naruto averted his eyes to his ramen, which he had hardly even touched.

"Things just. Well. Um. You know." Naruto said, becoming very uncomfortable.

"No, I obviously don't know or I wouldn't be asking you. So, tell me what's going on. C'mon Naruto, you can trust me!"

Naruto sighed, looking at his feet again. "I know I can trust you, I just can't think straight right now."

"Does this have to do with Sasuke? Because you barely ate your ramen and you didn't say a damn thing in Sasuke's room." Sakura said hesitantly. Sasuke was a touchy subject around everybody.

Naruto sighed, yet again. "Yeah it does. Did you notice, how he didn't seem to care anymore? I wanted to talk to him, to show him how much we cared about him, but I froze. It felt like if I said something, he would leave again. You get what I'm saying?"

Something dawned on Sakura. "Do you blame yourself for Sasuke leaving?" she asked. Naruto nodded. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why would you blame yourself?"

"If I had been stronger, maybe I could have convinced him, or beaten him or something to get him to stay." Naruto said quietly, his eyes getting shiny. Sakura nodded, feeling Naruto's pain. As if reading her mind Naruto asked, "Do you blame yourself too Sakura?"

Sakura was surprised by Naruto's question. Sakura wanted to say something, but her voice seemed to disappear. So she just nodded, not wanting to look at her blonde friend.

"It's ok Sakura. It doesn't matter anymore, cause Sasuke-teme's home! And tomorrow, I'm gonna give that bastard a piece of my mind! There's no way I'm just going to stand by the wall like an idiot! Believe it! Naruto shouted, concerning the civilians walking by the ramen shop.


	3. The Attack

A/N: So here's chapter three

A/N: So here's chapter three. Just a heads up, there's a lot of cussing in this chapter (well, more than usual) so if you don't like that, I would stay away. Review and Enjoy!

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Chapter three: The Attack

"While we are focusing on fear, worry, or hate, it is not possible for us to be experiencing happiness, enthusiasm or love." –Bo Bennett

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"So, how long have you been in Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged.

"Why do you want to know?" Sasuke asked coldly. Sakura had thought Sasuke might have warmed up a little to them, but no. He was as cold as ever. She sighed, they had learned absolutely nothing, and they had been questioning him for two weeks. All they knew was that Akatsuki was going to come after Naruto at some point and that Sasuke had gone after the eight tails.

"Just answer the question teme." Naruto said, obviously bored that they had gotten nowhere.

"I don't think it's any of your business." Sasuke said, getting angrier by the second. Would these people just shut the hell up?

"Oh please, I'm the one being chased. I have every right to know if you're in the organization that wants me killed!" Naruto yelled.

"Ok guys that's-"

"Shut up Kakashi!" Sasuke yelled. "You really want to know Naruto?! Yeah, I am a part of Akatsuki!"

"Why Sasuke?! Your bastard of a brother was in that group, why do you want to be like that?! You know, you're just as bad as your brother!"

"Shut the fuck up you have no idea what you're talking about!" Sasuke yelled, his sharingan activating.

"You're a monster! You've become everything you hate! I hate you Sasuke! I wish you never came back!"

"Well that's fine cause I'm leaving as soon as my legs heal! And don't you dare talk crap about my brother!"

"Why not? Your brother is a murderer!" Naruto screamed. Sasuke jumped out of bed, grabbing Naruto by the front of his shirt. Kakashi and Sakura jumped forward, knowing that Sasuke and Naruto would kill each other if nothing was done.

"You want to know the truth? Did you know this damn village is the reason my clan died?" Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, not believing a word Sasuke said.

"Those bastards that run the village? They ordered Itachi to kill my family. The only reason he agreed was to stop a war from breaking out." Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"That's a lie." Naruto whispered, in complete shock. Konoha wouldn't order an entire clan to be assassinated, right? "If that's true, than why are you still alive?"

"Why should you care? You wish I'd never come back right?" Naruto glared at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked, his eyes narrowing. "So don't you say a damn thing about him." Sasuke whispered, letting go of Naruto and walking weakly to the bed. Naruto stood in shock. Sasuke had to be lying.

Sakura looked from Naruto to Sasuke. What did Sasuke say? She had tried to eavesdrop, but Sasuke had talked so quietly she couldn't hear a thing. Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"I can't believe you. Konoha wouldn't do that." Naruto said, his eyes getting shiny and his voice quivering. Having said that, Naruto walked over to the door and left. Sasuke snorted. Naruto didn't understand anything.

Kakashi walked towards the door also, motioning for Sakura to follow. Sakura gave Sasuke one more glance and followed Kakashi out of Sasuke's room.

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Sasuke cracked an eye open as a person walked in the room. Sasuke sat up in bed. He looked at the man walking in his room and sighed. It was the punk that replaced him.

What was his name? Soi? San?

"Hello Sasuke. I'm Sai." The boy said, fake smiling at him. Sasuke grunted. He really didn't want to talk with this Sai person.

"Kakashi-sensei asked me to tell you that he couldn't make it today. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei are meeting with the Hokage today. But they will be back tomorrow!" He said brightly.

Sasuke was going to reply when he heard a sizzling. What the hell? What was sizzling? Then came the explosion. Sasuke ducked under the bed. Of course, an exploding note! When the smoke cleared, Sasuke peeked his head out from under the bed. Sai was lying on the ground. Sasuke climbed out from under the bed and felt Sai's pulse. Good. He was alive, just unconscious. The note had been in the hallway and had exploded, knocking the door off and hitting Sai on the head.

It was the perfect time to escape. Sasuke smashed the window open and leaped to the ground. He rolled to avoid falling rubble from the building across the street. He heard shouts and clashing metal. Smoke filled the air and ash fell like snow. Sasuke looked around. What was going on?

He jumped on top of a building and leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The wall surrounding the village was crumbling, shinobi desperately trying to keep it from completely falling. Somebody was attacking the leaf village?! But who? Sasuke ran as fast as his weak, unhealed legs could carry him. Then he saw it. A man lying on the ground, wearing a black cloak with red clouds. Akatsuki was attacking. Sasuke had never even been aware there were plans for an attack. How long had they been preparing for this? Why didn't he know? This was just fan fucking tastic.

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Naruto jumped back, creating five more shadow clone. This guy they were fighting was way too good. Itachi's old partner, Kisame had so much chakra, even Naruto was impressed. If Naruto didn't do something quickly, they would be killed. Four of his clones charged forward, while his fifth clone helped him make his rasengan. Using his other clones as a distraction, Naruto charged forward ready to take this bastard out.

Naruto was about to hit the blue shark man with his rasengan when Kisame dodged it with his sword. Naruto yelped, the sword grazing his arm. It shaved the skin off his wrist and Naruto reeled back.

Jeez, this was not good. But then it hit him. Kisame was Itachi's old partner. Maybe he knew something about Itachi and his clan. Maybe he knew the reason Itachi killed them. Maybe he knew if Sasuke was telling the truth.

"Hey shark man," Naruto yelled. "Do you know why Itachi killed the Uchiha clan?"

Kisame looked up. "To test his abilities, some bullshit like that. I don't know."

"Was Sasuke the only survivor?" Sakura asked. Kisame smiled, revealing his pointy teeth.

"No. But lets stop this stupid chatter and end this." Kisame said, getting a better grip on his sword. Naruto growled and Sakura pumped chakra into her fist. This was going to be tricky.

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"What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, surprised to see the Akatsuki member standing behind her desk.

"Simple, I'm reclaiming what is mine." The masked man said, ruffling his spiky dark hair.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tsunade said, eyes narrowing.

"I'm reclaiming the nine tailed fox, and Sasuke. He is a part of my organization after all." He said, arrogance oozing out of every pore in his body.

"You really think I'm going to sit back and let this happen?" Tsunade said, punching him as hard as she could, sending him flying through her office wall. She ran after him, ready to break every bone in his body. Tobi sat up, smoothing his wrinkled Akatsuki cloak. He glanced at Tsunade and laughed.

"What's so damn funny?" Tsunade asked, fists clenching. Tobi stood up, dusting his pants off.

"Its just silly! You really think Konoha will survive this? Nonsense! I have some of the best shinobi in the world out there! Plus, I've recruited so many people into Akatsuki in the past couple of weeks; your petty little ninja wont last more than a couple hours max. Sorry, but you might as well kiss Konoha goodbye." Tobi said, nonchalantly running his hand through his hair like this was something he did everyday. Tsunade pumped chakra into her leg, slamming it into the ground and sending Tobi flying.

Tobi landed, laughing. "Give up! I am immortal, there's no way you can win! Surrender and I just might let the people here live." Tsunade glared. This guy had a lot of nerve to be assuming she could be beaten so easily. He was getting himself into some deep shit.

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Sasuke stopped when he was sure he was in the middle of the forest. He stayed perfectly still, making sure he was emitting as much chakra as possible. He smirked when he heard his team come crashing through the trees, arguing as loud as physically possible.

"There you are Sasuke-kun! I felt your chakra!" Karin said, batting her eyelashes. Sasuke sighed. No shit, he had practically made it impossible for her not to find him.

"You finally got out of that hospital, ready to put your master plan to action?" Suigetsu said, taking a swig of his water bottle.

"Hn, we have to change our plans a bit." Sasuke said, ready to get going.

"What do you mean?" Karin said quickly. New plans?

"The elders were taken out of the village moments after the attack began. Someone thankfully put exploding notes by my room. They knocked out the ANBU guarding my room and a shinobi inside my room. So, the elders will have to wait for a different time." Sasuke explained. Team Hawk nodded, waiting for Sasuke to continue.

"But there is one other man who is responsible for my clan's death. You know who I'm talking about, correct?" Again, Hawk nodded. "So, you guys keep people away from him, and I'll finish him off. Understood? Alright, lets go." Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo, ran off in different directions, ready to carry out Sasuke's plan. Sasuke smirked, ready to avenge his clan for the second time.

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Sakura spun around, avoiding Kisame's sword. She knew she would run out of chakra soon. Naruto's grand plan (which she had to admit sounded like it would work) was not taking effect fast enough. Sakura sighed. She would have to speed things up.

"Naruto, go, now!" Sakura yelled, ready for her part. Naruto nodded, making a shadow clone. He quickly produced a rasengan, and charged forward. Kisame laughed, knowing he could easily dodge the attack.

Sakura pumped her hand full of chakra and slammed it into the ground, causing a miniature earthquake around Kisame. Kisame tried to move, but the uneven ground stopped him, leaving him as an easy target. Naruto pushed his rasengan into Kisame's stomach, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Naruto cheered, and Sakura smiled.

"Sakura! We did it! We are so freaking awesome!" Naruto screamed. He was so happy his plan had actually worked! Getting Kisame to stand close enough to Sakura that her super human strength would only affect the ground around him was brilliant. Naruto was glad Sakura had gotten so powerful over the years. Before he would have been unsure to include Sakura in a plan to take an enemy down, but now he always worked her in. She was probably the most powerful konoichi he knew!

Sakura bent over Kisame, checking his pulse. He wasn't dead, but his digestive system had to be pretty fucked up. She whipped out some of her chakra string and quickly tied him to a tree. She smiled at her handiwork and looked at Naruto. "Lets go see where else we can help." Naruto grinned, ready to kick butt.

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Tobi stopped laughing long enough to sense someone standing in the trees. Realizing who it was, he quickly called, "Come to assist me Sasuke?" Sasuke jumped down from the trees, landing next to the Akatsuki leader.

"You could say that." Sasuke said, grabbing his sword. Tsunade glared at Sasuke, disappointed that he had strayed so far. She remembered when he would have put his life on the line to protect Konoha.

"Well Sasuke, lets see how strong you've become. I'll leave the Hokage to you." Tobi said beginning to walk away. He was almost ten meters away when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He glanced down, surprised to see a sword sticking out of his stomach. When had the Hokage attacked him? He turned his head to look over his shoulder to see Sasuke pushing the sword through his body.

"So, are you betraying me?" Tobi questioned. Sasuke snorted.

"You know, I'm really sick of people asking me questions." Sasuke snarled, twisting the sword. "But, yes, I am betraying you. Although, its hard to betray somebody if you were never loyal to them."

"I'm surprised Sasuke. I thought you wanted your revenge. I guess you don't care about your family that much." Tobi said quietly, obviously putting on an act.

"I do care about my family, and I am getting my revenge. I blame you for the death of my clan; you're a fucking bastard. You don't deserve to live; you never deserved to be born. You stole your brothers eyes and you only care about yourself." Sasuke yelled, running his chidori through his blade and into Tobi's body.

Tobi laughed, and ripped the sword out of his body. He turned around, his body showing no signs of being pierced with Sasuke's katana. Sasuke gasped, jumping back. Tsunade's jaw dropped, Tobi hadn't been lying when he said he was immortal. She thought he had just been showing off!

Sasuke ran forward, chidori chirping in his hand. He was about to strike Tobi right in the heart when Tobi's arm shot forward, closing around Sasuke's throat. Sasuke clawed at his throat, trying to pry Tobi's hand off.

"Stupid brat. You should have thought twice before betraying me. Remember what I said about betraying Akatsuki?" Sasuke squirmed as he charged chidori through his hands, trying to electrocute Tobi. "Nice try. But you're going to have to pay the price. Good bye Sasuke." Tobi yelled maniacally, tightening his hold on Sasuke.


	4. Death

A/N: So, here's chapter four

A/N: So, here's chapter four! There are manga spoilers in this story, just a warning! So, enjoy…

Just figured out my story had reviews, so thank you Liongirl93, Chibi3232, and ssncarmen. I ran around my house squealing like a schoolgirl when I read your reviews!!

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Chapter 4: Death

"To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead." -Samuel Butler

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Sasuke felt nothing. All he saw was black. He was afraid. And he wasn't going to hide it. He had come close to death several times before, but now that he was actually dead, it felt sad. All the things he wanted to accomplish were useless now.

But somewhere deep down, he was relieved. He could forget. He wouldn't have to remember seeing his clan's bodies laying in the street, his brother standing over his parent's bodies. He could forget the villager's gossip. How he heard at least a dozen stories of how his clan died, all of them wrong though. He could forget how he had beat his best friend to a pulp, how he left his friend unconscious on a bench. How he killed his brother, only to realize he wished he hadn't. How he had broken all of his bonds.

He could forget all the people he hurt. And he could forget all the people who hurt him. He wondered if his parents, even Itachi, had felt this way when they died. Did they wish they could have changed things, changed people?

His brain was going numb and things weren't making sense. Random memories ran through his head, and Sasuke knew his time was over. He let himself be dragged deeper and deeper into the darkness.

But then he felt it. Something was dragging him back, he felt himself breathing again, he could hear. He slowly opened his eyes. The world slowly slid into focus. Tsunade was sitting next to him, her hands glowing with healing chakra.

"What… happened…?" Sasuke asked slowly, his throat burning. Tsunade stood up.

"Your heart stopped. He killed you." She said, her voice cold.

"Why? Why would you help me?" Sasuke asked, bewildered she had helped him.

"I don't know. But just remember, I helped you when I didn't have to. I could have let you die." Tsunade said. Sasuke glanced at her, nodding. She had saved his life. He forgot what that was like, what that felt like. He knew he could deal with her.

"Where is he?" Sasuke said, sitting up and staggering to his feet.

"I'm not sure. I hit him somewhere into the trees. So, I helped you, now you help me. Tell me everything you know about Akatsuki." She said sternly, her eyes boring into Sasuke's. He nodded, and began to talk.

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Sakura and Naruto jumped from tree to tree, eyes searching for someone to help. Sakura was worried. She knew Naruto was in danger, and she knew somebody at some point was going to attack them. Sakura was ready to do anything to keep her best friend alive.

"Hey Sakura, do you hear that?" Naruto yelled, pointing to the leafy canopy above them. Sakura gasped as the tree branches shook and snapped and a man flew through the trees, smashing into the ground. Naruto jumped to the ground, Sakura close behind him. She jumped in front of Naruto, quickly realizing it was a man from Akatsuki. It was the same man they had fought not long ago, when they were tracking Sasuke. That man, Tobi…

Tobi sat up, shaking his head and brushing twigs and leaves out of his hair. He looked up, noticing a puzzled Naruto standing behind Sakura. "Well isn't this convenient?" He laughed, standing up, looking entirely unharmed. "Now I don't have to go searching for the nine-tails! Seems he was delivered directly to me." Naruto's eyes narrowed. He wasn't letting this Akatsuki bastard take him.

Sakura turned her head to face Naruto and whispered as urgently as she could. "You need to get out of here. Right now." Naruto made to protest, but Sakura looked at him sternly and whispered a final, "Go, I'll be fine." Sakura readjusted her gloves, and turned back to Tobi. He stood there, looking back. She blinked, and he was gone. She looked around wildly, trying to find a trace of him.

She looked over her shoulder to where Naruto was still standing. She glared. She thought he had left. Naruto looked around too, getting into a fighting stance.

"Sakura, I'm not leaving. I don't run! We can take this guy out together!" Naruto yelled, his face breaking out into a grin. Sakura sighed.

"Naruto, he's after you! Please, get yourself out-" Sakura stopped mid sentence as she caught a glimpse of a black cloak near Naruto. She whipped out a few shuriken and threw them as fast as she could. "Move!" she yelled. Naruto dived out of the way, sliding on the ground and jumping to his feet. He gripped his arm, three long jagged cuts on his arm. Tobi jumped into the branches. He gripped a short sword. Sakura ran over to Naruto.

"Shit, he's so fast. What are we supposed to do?" Naruto asked, watching Sakura as she quickly healed his arm. Sakura nodded and let her brain go into overdrive. Tobi stood in the branches. This was way too easy. He would soon have all the tailed beasts.

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Tsunade jumped from branch to branch. She glanced over her shoulder. Sasuke was still standing in the clearing they had been in moments ago. She had to concentrate. If she didn't find Naruto soon, life as they knew it would be completely different.

She thought back to the conversation she and Sasuke had a few minutes ago…

"Akatsuki is sealing the tailed beasts in a statue type thing. They have to seal the tailed beasts in order or the statue will crumble." Sasuke said, thinking back to every detail he had learned in his short amount of membership. Tsunade nodded.

"_I already know that." She said. Sasuke sighed, thinking even harder._

"_I don't know much. But I have a hunch." He said slowly. She nodded again._

"_So…. What is it?" Tsunade asked._

"_Akatsuki said they were leaving Naruto be until they had sealed all the other beasts. So, that must mean they have already sealed the eight tails. They're attacking Konoha to get Naruto, so unless you people do something, Akatsuki will have all the tailed beasts. And when they do, everything will change. I'm not sure what will happen, but I'm damn sure it wont be pretty." Sasuke said quickly._

"_Than we don't have anytime to waste." Tsunade said. Sasuke looked up._

"_We? I'm done helping you. I could care less about all of this." Sasuke said coldly. Tsunade's eyes narrowed._

"_Fine. I don't have time to deal with you right now. But, if you dare do a damn thing to Konoha, I will kill you just as easily as I saved you." Tsunade warned. She turned on her heal and sped away._

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Sakura slammed her fist into the tree next to Tobi. It shattered into tiny pieces, scraping Sakura. The sharp shards just went through him, leaving him unharmed. Sakura panted.

Naruto charged forward, rasengan spinning in his hand. Again, it just went through him. Naruto leapt back to kneel next to Sakura.

"I can't keep this up Naruto I'm almost out of chakra." Sakura panted. Naruto nodded.

"Don't worry Sakura! I'm sure he has a weakness!" Naruto said.

"That's the thing. He can counter attack almost everything. Nothing we do has any effect on him. I have no idea what kind of jutsu he's using either." Sakura said quietly.

"So what should we do? Rasengan and your strength do nothing to him. He doesn't seem to be running out of chakra either." Naruto said thoughtfully. Sakura was slightly surprised to hear Naruto make such an educated statement. However, that wasn't the issue at hand.

"So, how do you kill somebody who is invincible?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged.

"Guess we'll just have to wing it for now." Naruto said, making several shadow clones. Sakura sighed and got in a fighting stance.

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Sasuke stopped when the tree a few meters in front of him broke into tiny pieces. He rolled under a bush and concealed his chakra. Hawk was nowhere to be found and he couldn't keep running. His body couldn't handle it anymore.

He could see Sakura and Naruto standing next to each other, and he heard Naruto's clones being destroyed. Sakura spoke in a hushed voice, obviously planning what to do next. Naruto nodded, agreeing to what she was saying. Shit. Sasuke saw Tobi flicker into place. He knew they could never beat him. Tobi would kill both of them.

Not that he cared. They were nothing to him. Just broken bonds that he didn't want to mend.

He watched as their combined attacks did nothing. And he didn't feel guilty he wasn't helping them.

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Sakura knew she was out of chakra. And she knew Naruto wouldn't be able to last much longer, his techniques were beginning to tire him. Naruto was one of the strongest ninja she knew, but he couldn't take Tobi out by himself.

Every plan was useless. They needed to figure out how his jutsu worked. She thought back to every technique she knew, every tidbit of information she had ever learned. She could sort of tell he had lost some chakra, but he still had more than enough to kill them and possibly the rest of the village.

"Hold on. If I willingly let you take me, will you leave Sakura and the rest of the village alone? Let everybody live?" Naruto bargained. Tobi laughed quietly.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to let that happen. I need the village for my plans. You can willingly give yourself and let me take the village. I may even let your little friend here live." Tobi said, casually leaning against a tree. Sakura clenched her fists.

"You get me and you leave the village alone, or you get nothing." Naruto said, standing tall and looking the Akatsuki leader in the eye. Sakura's jaw dropped. Naruto never gave up. He was never like this.

"Naruto stop! This isn't like you why are you giving up you-."

"Sakura I'm not giving up! I'm excepting the facts! I'm the only one who can stop him he's here for me and I don't want him to hurt anybody else! My dream is to be Hokage. All the Hokage's have put their life on the line for the village. So, I'll do the same." Naruto said. Sakura shook her head.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"That's a nice speech you gave there, but I didn't come here to bargain." Tobi said, dashing forward, stretching his sword out. Naruto grabbed a kunai and blocked Tobi's attack. Naruto's eyes turned a demonic red color and his fingernails and teeth grew to long sharp points. His whiskers grew and a shield of red chakra enveloped his body. He wasn't ready to let his village down. He wasn't going to let Sakura down.

Sakura watched as Naruto met Tobi's level, blocking each attack with ease. Tobi also seemed to realize he was evenly matched and that Naruto was rapidly getting better and better, the nine tailed fox's chakra growing larger and larger.

Tobi smirked. He knew that as soon as Naruto grew one tail, it would all be over. The nine tailed fox knew how he worked. How he could be defeated. The nine tails knew how to end his undefeatable jutsu. Tobi's eyes drifted over to Sakura. She was closely watching Naruto. Naruto seemed to love this girl. So, if she were gone, would Naruto care about the village anymore?

Tobi flickered out of sight. Naruto spun around, red eyes widening as he saw where Tobi was headed. Naruto knew he couldn't get there in time. He was fast, but not that fast. He charged chakra into his feet and chased after the masked man.

Sakura charged her very last ounce of chakra into her hands and tried to block Tobi's attack. But he was too fast. Sakura squeezed her eyes closed…

And she felt the wind being knocked out of her as somebody pushed her. She smashed into the dirt and slid into the grassy forest floor. She snapped her head to the side and stared at the person who had just saved her life.

There, lying in the dirt, bleeding profusely from the shoulder, was Sasuke.

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A/N: So, there you go! I know I didn't update for a while, don't eat me… Remember to review!


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